Safe And Sound
by auslly4eva22
Summary: Clove death from Cato's POV, set to the song Safe And Sound by Taylor Swift. Clato! Please read and review!


Safe And Sound

**This is my first song fiction guys so please go easy on me! **

Cato's P.O.V

Breathing is no easier for me then it is for Clove.

She and I evenly struggle to make each inhale hit our lungs, to be able to let the air out again. Our breathing is broken and horse, heavy and painful.

"Cato." She choked out, barely audible. "Hold me please. Please don't let go."

Without a beat of hesitation I took one of her frail hands in mine and whispered "never."

_I remember tears streaming down your face _

_When I said I'll never let you go_

_And how those shadows _

_Almost killed your light _

My face was hot and wet and my eyes were gleaming with tears. I knew the whole country would be watching me, the last career left, in such a weak pathetic state, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

"Don't leave me Cato." Clove added, her voice even more quiet and raspy then the first time. "Please. Stay with me. Don't leave me alone."

_I remember you said _

_Don't leave me here alone_

I leant forward and planted a kiss on her cheek, my own tears staining her face.

"I'm not leaving." I assured here. "I'm staying right here."

_All is dead and gone and passed _

_Tonight _

Clove's rotating eyes met mine and instantly I could see her inner fight to keep them open, to resist every fiber in her body that wanted to slam them shut.

_Just close your eyes _

_The sun is going down _

It was almost as if they realization of what was happening fully hit Clove at that moment, because suddenly her heavy eyes were open and filled with alarm.

"Cato help!" She hissed desperately.

"Shh." I hushed, trying and failing to stop crying for her sake. "You're alright. You're perfectly safe. No one can hurt you, I'm right here protecting you."

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you now _

My words seemed to calm Clove a little, but not much, so I decided to pretend like the inevitable wasn't happening.

I decided to try comforting her by pretending she wasn't dying.

"I think you may have hurt you ribs a little." I spluttered out, even though I could see the ribs poking out of her skinny torso were well and truly broken. "With a little rest that should be fine. A good night's sleep is all you need."

_Come morning light _

_You and I'll be safe and sound _

"Once, the house next to mine was on fire." Clove uttered, staring into space.

I gave her hand a tiny squeeze.

"I know." I replied, my bottom lip trembling. "You've told me this story. Peacekeepers burnt down the house beside yours when you were really little."

Clove's eyes fluttered shut, then bounced open again.

"I still don't know why they did that." She whispered.

I had no clue what relevance this had to anything, but I let her talk anyway, not wanting to waste the last few minutes I would ever spend with her not hearing her voice.

"I just remember looking out my window and seeing flames." She continued. She was now carefully studying the overhead trees and the afternoon sky, as if she could picture the burning house right now.

_Don't you dare look out your window_

_Darling everything's on fire _

"I've never been more scared in my life then I was at that moment." As I listened to her talk, I could feel her jittering hand in mine begin to fall still. "Not until Thresh picked up that rock."

Now I knew why she had chosen to tell the story.

She wanted to express how terrified she was.

"Don't be scared." I hushed, leaning in and pressing my nose against hers. "Fear is for the weak. And you're stronger then you'll ever know."

She gave an attempt at a half smile, or that's what I assumed she did, but I couldn't see very well because my face was so close to hers.

"Everyone gets scared." She whimpered back, then added something that surprised me. "Tell me about the time you were the most scared."

I didn't want to confess to all the cameras, to all of Panem, that I had ever been scared, but what overruled that was my refusal to deny Clove of any of her dying wishes. So, still squeezing her hand, I laid down beside her and found myself finger combing the bits of loose hair that had fallen out of her braids.

"When I was little and someone was being beaten as punishment, mum would force me inside and tell me not to look out my window, not to leave until she said." I began. "And when I asked why, she said that a mini war was taking place and I wasn't old enough to witness it."

_Or outside _

_The war keeps raging on_

"And then once my older brother's girlfriend got caught stealing. She was being dragged to the square and he was screaming and then he called the peacekeepers so colourful names and next thing he was being dragged to and mum was ushering me inside. I was crying and begging to go see what was going on, but mum just said the same thing. There's a mini war and I wasn't old enough. She hardly even seemed to care that it was her own son."

Clove was squeezing my hand so tightly by the end of my story that it was almost as pale as hers.

"That's when you were most afraid?" She confirmed.

"That's when I was most afraid."

Then the most unexpected thing happened.

Clove started singing.

She'd always loved to sing, but never believed me when I'd complimented her on how beautiful her voice was. In all our secret corners of District Two – the lake deep in the forest, the quiet area behind the school, the treehouse in her backyard and all our other hideouts- she would sing, to relax herself, to lighten the mood, to show how happy she was, or just because she felt like it, and it always made my heart melt.

Now, it only made me cry harder, knowing it was the last time I'd ever hear her sing.

"Do you like that song?" She whispered when she was finished. "It's a lullaby. I sing it to my little sister when she's had a nightmare and she can't get back to sleep. Then I tell her to keep replaying the sound of me singing it in her head until she's no longer scared."

And at that moment I knew I would be replaying the sound of the love of my life singing that lullaby for the rest of my life.

_Hold on to this lullaby _

_Even when the music's gone _

_Gone _

Clove's pupils were becoming dilated and rolling further back into her head than usual, then rolling back out again. Maybe, like Clove had, I was suddenly hit with the full awareness of what was happening, because the next thing I knew I'd abounded all thoughts of being brave for her sake.

"Clove!" I shouted, shooting back up into a sitting position.

Again she tried to smile as her breathing entered its most abnormal state yet.

"I can't hold my eyes open any longer. I'm sorry." She whispered, letting her eyelids shut.

_Just close your eyes _

"The setting sun is so pretty." She hummed, her head facing the sky but her eyes tightly closed. "It's like a painting."

_The sun is going down_

"Yes." I agreed even though I wasn't looking at the sky. "It's almost as beautiful as you."

And then she surprised me yet again, when she started to giggle.

"You're so sweet." She complimented. "Thank you for looking after me for all these years. Thank you for keeping me safe."

I shook my head violently even though I knew she couldn't see.

"Please don't thank me." I could hardly make the words loud enough for her to hear. "I failed you. I didn't do enough to keep you safe."

Clove didn't acknowledge that she'd even heard me, and for a few seconds I thought she was gone, until she whispered "you'll be alright. Don't worry about me, I'm as safe as I'll ever get.

_You'll be alright _

_No one can hurt you now _

"Clove." I spat out her name again.

"Cato." She bounced back.

"Don't leave me." I begged. "Please don't leave me."

I knew it was helpless though. She was beyond savior when I'd found her here, and she was definitely passed it now.

"You'll be alright." She said again. "By tomorrow you would have forgotten about me."

_Come morning light _

"Don't say that!" I scolded. "That's not true!"

"Kiss me Cato." Clove completely changed the subject. "Give me one last kiss."

Straight away I leant forward and planted a kiss on her pale lips. She was too weak to return it, but the smile she managed when I pulled away told me she felt it.

"I love you." She whispered. "And I'm glad you don't think you'll forget me. I hope you don't. I know I'll never forget you."

"Never." I agreed, though this time I wasn't even sure the tear filled words were audible. "I love you and I'll love you for the rest of my life. However long or short that is."

Clove drew in her harshest breath yet. The fingers of mine that were touching her wrist could feel her pulse slowing right down to practically nothing. Her gently closed eyes squeezed together, and she uttered "goodbye Cato."

_You and I'll safe and sound _


End file.
